I nodded, my grip on her hand tightening just slightly. “Agreed.”
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, the fire in the homemade fire pit had been built up enough that everyone started dragging chairs into a loose circle.
Miles tossed another log on, sparks lifting into the darkening sky as laughter carried across the beach.
Couples paired off without much thought.
Owen pulled Lucy down beside him, her legs tucked over his. Bash had Alessi practically folded into his side. Even Ky had a girl leaning into him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
And then there was Nora. Standing just beside me, brushing sand off her hands, glancing toward the open chairs like she was about to pick one.
But since I wanted to take my fake-boyfriend duties seriously, I grabbed a chair of my own, sat down, and then reached for her.
“Come here,” I said, hooking my arm around her waist as I guided her toward me.
She looked surprised for half a second, her eyes flicking to mine before she stepped closer and let me pull her down onto my lap.
She settled into me, her back fitting perfectly against my chest. Just like it had on the balloon ride a week ago.
I adjusted slightly, one arm wrapping around her waist, the other resting along her thigh as the firelight flickered across the group.
To anyone watching, it probably looked like I’d pulled her onto my lap a hundred times before.
But even though I was trying to appear completely confident and cool, I was hyperaware of every little thing.
The weight of her on my lap.
The steady rhythm of her breathing.
The way her hair brushed my jaw when she shifted.
I was just inhaling her sweet scent when I caught movement across the fire. And when my eyes focused on the figure across the way, I found Diego watching us.
And he wasn’t trying to be subtle about it, either.
Good.
I let my hand slide along Nora’s side, my fingers tracing a slow path over the fabric of her shirt before settling more firmly at her waist.
“Diego’s watching us now,” I murmured, my mouth close to her ear.
“He is?” she asked, her breath catching just enough for me to notice.
“Yeah.” I hesitated for half a second, my pulse picking up. Then I asked, “Should we give him a good show?”
She turned to face me a little better. After studying me fora moment, her heated eyes just inches from mine, she said, “Yes, please.”
And that was all I needed to pull her even closer, my thumb brushing slow, steady circles along her side, before drifting across her stomach.
She relaxed into me, and when she exhaled a soft breath, my body became even more attuned to every point of contact between us.
And when I noticed Diego’s stare, I had to fight the smug smile that tugged at my lips. Because even though I knew this was all just for show, it almost felt like I’d won something.
I lowered my chin near her cheek. With my lips close to her ear, I whispered, “You’re doing a really good job,” hoping it looked to anyone watching like I was murmuring sweet nothings.
She let out a soft, contented sigh before saying, “So are you.”
And hearing that made it even harder to remember this was supposed to be an act.